Liquid products often require the measurement of predetermined volumes for proper usage. For efficiency and convenience, it is desirable to provide the consumer with simple and mess-free means of measuring and dispensing correct doses of liquid products. To achieve these tasks, various liquid dispensing packages and measuring the pouring devices have been utilized in the past.
As an example, U.S. Pat. No. 2,619,263, which issued to W. H. Duggan on Nov. 25, 1952, shows a liquid measuring and pouring attachment designed to be placed in the open outlet neck of a liquid container. In particular, the Duggan device includes an inlet tube mounted within an attachment sleeve and extending upwardly to the top of a measuring receptacle, such inlet tube then being cured upon itself and having its open distal end located near the lower portion of the receptacle. The inlet tube includes a vent/drain hole located near the outlet of the receptacle, and directs liquid from the container into the measuring receptacle. During measurement procedures, the outlet of the receptacle is oriented in an upward manner while the distal end of the inlet tube is oriented in a downward manner into the measuring receptacle chamber. Liquid entering the measuring receptacle eventually closes off the vent/drain hole thereby causing the liquid flow therewithin to stop. The container and attached receptacle are then turned 180.degree. about the axis of the inlet tube to dispense the measured liquid through the outlet of the receptacle.
A measuring and dispensing device similar to the Duggan attachment is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 547,862, which issued to J. H. Platt on Oct. 15, 1895. The Platt device includes an inlet tube which provides fluid communication between the liquid container and a measuring chamber. The measuring chamber includes an outlet neck which is situated vertically above the inlet port of the inlet neck so that liquid entering the measuring chamber will close off the inlet port prior to reaching the level of the outlet neck. Following measuring procedures, the container and its attached device are rotated approximately 90.degree. thereby dispensing the measured liquid through the outlet neck.
Another measuring and dispensing device is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 2,584,130, which issued to C. G. Huebl et al. on Feb. 5, 1952. The Huebl et al. reference discloses a device including a filler tube which extends from the neck of a liquid container into a measuring chamber. The device also includes a separate dispensing chamber connected to an outlet spout. The device is to be attached to the neck of the liquid container and, upon inversion, liquid flows through the filler tube into the measuring chamber. When in-flowing liquid covers the open end of a vent tube extending from such measuring chamber into the liquid container, the flow of liquid stops. Upon returning the dispensing device to its upright position, the liquid in the measuring chamber is transferred to a dispensing chamber. Upon subsequent inversion, the liquid in the dispensing chamber is dispensed via the outlet spout, while a new dose of liquid is measured simultaneously into the measuring chamber.
Other examples of measuring and dispensing devices similar to Huebl et al. can be found in U.S. Pat. Nos. 1,066,127 and 2,144,587, which issued to C. S. Lewis and R. P. Bowker on July 1, 1913 and Apr. 19, 1938, respectively. Both of these patents disclose measuring devices having upper measuring chambers connected to a liquid container by an inlet tube which includes an air vent. Upon inversion of the liquid container and its connected measuring device, liquid flows from the container into such upper measuring chamber until the air vent is covered by the rising liquid level. Upon returning the container to its original upright position, liquid within such upper measuring chamber flows into a lower secondary compartment. Such secondary compartment is connected to an outlet port, and upon subsequent inversion, the liquid held within the secondary compartment is dispensed via such outlet port while a new dose of liquid product is simultaneously measured into the upper chamber.
A dispensing bottle is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 2,370,820, which issued to H. R. Stott on Mar. 6, 1945. The Stott bottle includes an integral measuring compartment within its upper sections, whereby the bottle can be inverted to fill such measuring compartment. Upon return of the bottle to its original upright position, excess liquid within the measuring compartment returns to the main compartment of the bottle. Thereafter the liquid held within the measuring compartment can be dispensed by tilting the bottle toward its outlet. A similar dispensing container having an integral measuring compartment formed therewithin is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 3,235,143, which issued on Feb. 15, 1966 to W. J. Goodrich. Like the Stott bottle, the Goodrich container is tilted in a direction away from its outlet spout in order to measure a predetermined volume of liquid into its measuring compartment. Upon returning the container to its original upright position, excess liquid not retained within the measuring compartment is returned to the main compartment of the container. Thereafter, the measured liquid can be dispensed by tipping the container toward its outlet spout.
Despite all of the prior work done in the area of liquid measuring and dispensing, as evidenced by the vast array of measuring and dispensing devices described above, there remain problems of convenience, mess control and, reusability. For example, the prior art did not provide for drip prevention and/or return of residual liquid to the container. With many of the prior art devices, once the contained liquid was measured into the measuring compartment, there was no way to return such liquid to the main container if the consumer decided not to dispense such liquid. Moreover, if the consumer measured too much product into the measuring chamber, there was often no convenient way to return such excess liquid to the container prior to dispensing.